F-22 Controls Collaborative Combat Aircraft In Flight For The First Time
An F-22 Raptor pilot has directed a Collaborative Combat Aircraft in flight for the first time, the US Air Force says. During a test in early October, the pilot acted as an airborne “quarterback,” issuing high-level tactical directives to a single YFQ-44A Fury, while Anduril’s autonomy software carried them out through dynamic maneuvers and simulated combat tasks. Earlier formation flights with F-35As and F-15Es this summer did not include control from the crewed fighter, and the F-22 had previously only directed an MQ-20 Avenger surrogate. The Raptor is the Air Force’s threshold platform, the first jet that will be paired with CCAs in service.
The Read: This is the step that turns CCAs from fast prototypes into a combat concept. The pilot doesn’t fly the drone. They give it intent, and software handles the rest, which is the only way one fighter can manage several uncrewed wingmen in a real fight. The scale behind it is growing fast: the Air Force now plans 500 CCAs by 2032, up from a goal of more than 150 by the end of the decade set when production contracts were awarded in June. The next tests to watch are multiple drones under one pilot and the same control from the F-35 and F-47.
A YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft flies over the Mojave Desert during testing \\ U.S. Air Force photo by Jennifer Healy \ DVIDS
\\ Signal Watch
MQ-72C Cargo Helicopter Drone Capabilities Demonstrated For U.S. Army \\ TWZ
Airbus has flown its MQ-72C cargo drone helicopter for the US Army, completing five self-funded demonstration flights at Huntsville Executive Airport in Alabama. Based on the UH-72B Lakota and developed with L3Harris, Shield AI, and Parry Labs for the Marine Corps’ Aerial Logistics Connector program, the aircraft flew complex hover patterns and airfield traffic patterns, and autonomously rerouted around no-fly zones that appeared mid-flight. Shield AI’s HiveMind software handles navigation using two LIDAR sensors and a nose camera, and the aircraft has been commanded over Starlink from up to 113 km (70 mi) away. A safety pilot was on board but, according to Airbus, never had to take control. The Army has no formal requirement for a cargo drone helicopter yet, and the planned nose cargo doors aren’t expected until 2029-2030.
MQ-72C Cargo Helicopter Drone render \\ Source: Airbus
\\ Quick Links
Land & Aviation
We Finally Know The B-21 Raider’s True Wingspan \\ TWZ
Stratolaunch’s Boeing 747 Spotted With Previously Unseen Rocket Under Its Wings \\ The Aviationist
European Defence Agency begins new research phase with Spain, Germany and Belgium on automated mid-air refuelling of unmanned aircraft \\ Defence Industry Europe
U.S. Army tests XM1180 guided artillery rounds at Yuma with seeker technology planned for XM1230 extended-range projectile \\ Defence Industry Europe
Open system architecture will be ‘hyper important’ in downselect of Army’s XM30: Senior official \\ Breaking Defense
Drones & Counter-Drone
Germany changes course on plans to buy MQ-28 drone wingman: Boeing official \\ Breaking Defense
U.S. Army’s sled air defense idea gets industry backers \\ Defence Blog
Czech LPP Presents JWI-4000 Interceptor Built to Defeat Shahed-136 Attack Drones \\ Army Recognition
Hanwha’s Cheongwang records 100% interception test \\ Army Technology
No Radar, No Lidar: This British Ground Drone Is Designed to Keep a Low Profile \\ NextGen Defense
Ukraine Packs Up to 14 Jamming Modules Into New Vehicle-Mounted Drone Defenses \\ NextGen Defense
Space, Naval & Strategy
Second Chinese Submarine Drone Mothership Emerges \\ TWZ
Ghost Shark with teeth: Australia unveils underwater drone payloads \\ Breaking Defense
Ukraine’s defence ministry says 389 foreign manufacturers have applied to study captured Russian weapons through TrophyLab \\ Defence Industry Europe
Saab launches Allied Mission System to monitor space threats and command operations \\ Defence Industry Europe
“But to your point, it’s not just about investing more; it’s about investing in the right things and making sure that we’re pushing the frontier of defense innovation and translating that innovation into capability a lot more quickly.”
\\ Beyond the Beam
Bioinspired robot airdrops into remote waters via morphing wing-sail \\ New Atlas
Self-cooling film for thermal management in AI-era electronic devices \\ TechXplore
Scramjet vs rocket: Which propulsion technology is better for hypersonic weapons? \\ Interesting Engineering
Second Chinese Submarine Drone Mothership \\ Source: Chinese internet Via TWZ
\\ Opportunity Intel
U.S. Air Force wants a missile engine that runs on explosions \\ Defence Blog
DIU unveils next phase in unmanned vessel competition \\ Breaking Defense
NATO plans to buy jammers that black out GPS for 11 km \\ Defence Blog
British Army wants quiet power to replace noisy generators \\ Defence Blog
Army Wants High-Energy Laser Weapons It Can Put On “Any Vehicle In The Motorpool” \\ TWZ
U.S. military debuts new Task Force Easy to enable drone tech ‘adaptation dominance’ \\ DefenseScoop
Turkish defense procurement spending proposed to rise 229% in 2027 \\ Breaking Defense
Britain puts millions into protecting military sites \\ UKDJ
2026 Innovators Awards announced for enabling technologies in aerospace and defense applications \\ Military Aerospace
NRC IRAP Invests $135M in Defence and Dual-Use Technologies \\ Canadian Defence Review
European Defence Innovation Forum to bring industry and investors together on Ukraine lessons and arms production \\ Defence Industry Europe
Never miss a story. The best defense tech news, curated weekly directly to your inbox.
Hit reply anytime
I read every message and would love to hear what's working, what's missing, or what you want to see more of.